Now, keep track of your child via GPS

For parents who cannot decide whether a mobile phone will be used wisely by their child (even if their school allowed it) and also wonder how to keep an eye on them, the Hyderabad-based SatNav Technologies has launched SatGuide, a GPS child phone with a tracker.

Priced Rs 5,999, the phone comes with 30 days of tracker service, which can be extended later. Speaking to Business Line , Mr Amit Prasad, Founder and Managing Director, SatNav Technologies, said the company aims to sell 15,000 phones by March 31. SatNav's products include GPS navigation solutions, maps and location-tracking technology. The IT products company was set up former employees of Satyam.

Features

The phone allows only the parents' numbers to be dialled and it can receive calls only from those/authorised numbers. It provides for four pre-set numbers and has no text, MMS or Internet surfing capabilities. Parents can also set up a ‘Geo-fence' which alerts them when the child moves out of that geographical range. The phone works whether it's outside (through GPS) or inside buildings (through the cell tower network). It also has a stealth feature – in case it has been switched off, parents can still assess what is happening nearby though they cannot make calls; “talking won't be possible but tracking will be”.

SatNav is selling these phones through large-format appliance retail stores such as Croma and eZone and automobile and auto accessories showrooms. They are also available online, in gadget and tech portals. SatNav is mulling strategic partnerships through schools and is even prepared to discuss a revenue share pact with them, said Mr Prasad. On why such products are beginning to be available only now, Mr Prasad said till about six months ago, GPS could not be used inside buildings. Further, until about 12 months ago, the cost of GPS made it unviable to sell such phones below Rs 10,000; ideally, they should be priced Rs 4,000, he said. However, with the proliferation of smart phones, the cost of GPS chipsets has fallen – 80 per cent of smart phones have them today, he added. Even worldwide, such devices were launched only in mid-2010.

SatNav sources the phones from a provider in Europe (but they are made in China) and enables them with GPS facilities. Users can opt to purchase a one-year tracker service, SatTracx Locator, for Rs 499. SatNav has a call centre and back-end systems to support and alert parents. The phone will work with any mobile telephone service, Mr Prasad said. On the prospects for such phones, Mr Bharat Ramesh, Vice-President (Marketing and Business Development) of cellphone retail chain Univercell said it is a “very niche market but would pick up as parents would be very concerned about their children's safety”.

Other technology being tested in this space includes a child's ‘wristwatch.' It's simpler to use than a phone because the child can just wear it, but battery life, and the repair and service of its GSM and GPS features are posing a challenge. Once that is perfected, SatNav might introduce it here. Mr Prasad said SatNav also has tracking software that can be downloaded on to existing phones.

Locating tracking has much potential – to track people, workforce, vehicles, assets, lost mobiles and children. Garmin and Tomtom are global players in GPS systems and there is no other company offering technology such as SatTracx in India, Mr Prasad said. Abroad, technology is available to keep track of elderly people with memory loss and even criminal offenders out on probation. But that is based on the RFID (radio frequency identification) technology – and in India, in the absence of an RFID backbone and wi-fi hot spots, works only in closed environments, such as retail stores.

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